Two Unlikely Heroes
by Im-On-A-Roll
Summary: While Aquata and Arista face punishment after getting into a particularly ugly quarrel, they both face a crisis that requires them to set aside their anger and their differences and work together as a team.


It is not uncommon for a quarrel to occur between family members, especially siblings. It happens in just about every family. Two people who claim to love and care for each other can form a rivalry as easily as two unrelated enemies. Such rivalries can start any time for any reason. Sometimes these sibling rivalries are short-lived. Other times, they can last so long that their loved ones worry that it will take a miracle to resolve the problems. This, it seems, was exactly how King Triton felt about the never-ending quarrel between two of his daughters.

The daughters in question would be the heroes of our story: Aquata and Arista. These two had been at each other's throats since not long after the demise of their dear mother. No one can quite say how it had started or which of the two mermaids was at fault. Knowing them, it could very well have been either one. Aquata was very protective of her property and had a temper like a killer whale about to charge at its prey. Arista, though very sweet and for the most part well meaning, had a rather bad habit of "borrowing" things without permission. Perhaps it was Aquata's temper, stubbornness and lack of tolerance for thievery that never allowed them to settle their problems quietly and maturely. Or maybe the problems need not have ever occurred if Arista had merely kept her hands to herself. One thing was clear though, and it was constantly made clear by their father: "It was no way for mer-princesses to behave."

One night, after a particularly loud argument that had forced their four sisters out of their bedroom (this was after Ariel had left the mer-world to marry Prince Eric), King Triton had decided that enough was enough. After hearing a knot of complaints from Attina, Alana, Adella, and Andrina (who seemed to be trying hard not to laugh), the Sea King swam furiously to the girls' bedroom to lay down the law. He pushed back the curtains to the room and found Arista tightly clutching Aquata's favorite stuffed seahorse in her arms and Aquata with a large lock of Arista's hair in her fist. They were both lucky Triton did not have to use his trident to break them apart.

"I will not tolerate this uncouth behavior a moment longer!" Triton yelled, after roughly forcing Aquata to release Arista's hair.

Before Arista could ask what "uncouth" meant, Aquata was pointing angrily at her and accusing her of stealing Mr. Fuzzifinkle for the umpteenth time. Arista frowned and shot back that Aquata was the "most selfish-est person" in the world and that she needed to learn to share her stuff.

King Triton did not want to hear either of their petty complaints. It was time, he felt, to take action and to ensure that Aquata and Arista would never quarrel again. At first, he considered beaching them or cutting off finball and music privileges. But then, he decided on a much more beneficial form of punishment: something he hoped would allow Aquata and Arista to work together rather than fight together. Sebastian was taking his Crab Scouts on a camping trip the following weekend, and Aquata and Arista had "generously volunteered" to go with them as chaperones.

"End of discussion!" Triton said before either girl could protest.

So that Saturday, Aquata and Arista had awoken bright and early and set out to the wilderness, where Sebastian had said they would be setting up camp. It was rather a long swim. Both mermaids were tired and neither of them was all that happy with the other, which made the swim seem even longer. They at least managed to get to the wilderness without have a go at each other. Not much later, Arista finally let out a very long and very noisy yawn. _Too_ loud and _too_ noisy perhaps for Aquata's liking.

This may have been why she broke the silence by muttering, "This is totally unfair. Why should _I_ have to suffer for your crime?"

Arista frowned back at her. "My crime? I was under the exemption that I was suffering for your crime."

Aquata rolled her eyes. "First of all, it's under the _assumption_. Second, why should I be the culprit here? You're the one who can never keep her grimy little paws to herself."

"Well I wouldn't have to take your stuff if you'd only be a little nice and let me borrow them when I ask," Arista retorted.

"Oh, don't give me that," said Aquata with a hollow laugh. "Don't think I don't know about you borrowing Alana's compact after she specifically, and politely, told you it was off limits. Why should I bother sugarcoating it when you're just gonna go behind my back and take my stuff anyway?"

"Well at least she wouldn't have shouted at me if she ever found out," said Arita, pouting.

"Well maybe…"

"There you two are, at last," interrupted a very familiar voice.

The two girls wiped the frowns from their faces and turned to face Sebastian, who was wearing a park ranger's hat and floating about a foot in front of them. His Crab Scouts, two boys and a girl, were right behind him, all three looking as though they were trying to suppress a laugh at the mermaids' argument. But Sebastian neither laughed nor smiled. He looked sternly at the girls, as though he was prepared to shout at them.

"You're late," he said simply.

Arista slouched her shoulders and said, "Sorry, Sebastian."

Aquata straightened her spine, threw her shoulders back, and said in a possibly mocking voice, "Sir! Sorry, Sir! I can assure you it will never happen again, Sir!"

The Crab Scouts chuckled behind Sebastian's back.

Sebastian groaned. "At ease, Aquata. Now," he said, clearing his throat. "You both know why you're here."

"Yeah, we're here against our will as punishment," said Aquata under her breath. Lucky for her, Sebastian didn't hear her.

"You are here to learn a lesson in harmony, cooperation, and the importance of teamwork," Sebastian went on. "And I for one cannot think of a better place to learn this. We Crab Scouts value teamwork above all things, and as such we expect our responsible chaperones to do the same. So while you are with us, you will treat all of your fellow creatures with respect, including each other. Is that clear?"

In spite of this little speech, both Aquata and Arista were finding it difficult to take Sebastian seriously. He could lecture them and say "Is that clear?" all he wanted, but he could never be as formidable as their father.

Sebastian must have sensed this, because he then said, "Let's see if this has more of an effect: cooperate with each other or I'll be delivering a bad report to the Sea King."

The two mermaids suddenly looked less tired and frustrated and said in unison, "Yes, Sebastian."

Sebastian smiled. "That's more like it. Now…" He turned and held out his claws in front of him, indicating a vast, empty clearing before them. "This is where we will set up camp," he announced to the Crab Scouts.

The three small crabs stared mutely at the large clearing and then exchanged questioning looks.

"Are you serious?" asked one of the boys.

Sebastian looked at them. "But of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's a little big, isn't it? We thought we were just waiting here for them," said the girl crab, pointing at Aquata and Arista.

"No, it's just fine," said Sebastian. "We need more space than usual since our chaperones are… well… bigger than us. Now, before we set up camp, we must recite the Crab Scout Oath."

The three crab children formed a line and each raised his or her right claw.

"You two as well," said Sebastian to Aquata and Arista, who both looked back at him bewilderingly.

"But, we don't know the Crab Scout Oath," said Aquata slowly.

Sebastian waved a claw dismissively. "Just follow along. Now join them, quickly."

The two girls joined the Crab Scouts in line, Aquata looking annoyed and Arista looking apprehensive, and each held up their right hand. The Crab Scouts recited the oath in unison while Aquata and Arista listened and tried to follow.

"Crab Scouts, Crabs Scouts! Crustacean explorers are we! We lend a helping claw to everyone under the sea!"

Aquata and Arista finished last. They had said the oath out of synch and with little enthusiasm, and they had substituted the word "hand" for "claw", but Sebastian was pleased with their success nonetheless. After wiping a few tears from his eyes (the Crab Scout Oath choked him up every time he heard it), he announced that it was time to set up camp. The Crab Scouts rushed off and started setting up their shelters.

"You girls stay here with them," Sebastian said to the mermaids. "Keep an eye on them. Make sure they don't misbehave, wander off, or do anything against the Crab Scouts' Manual. Here, take this." He handed Aquata his copy of the Crab Scouts' Manual.

"What are you gonna do?" Arista asked timidly.

"I gotta go find an electric eel," said Sebastian importantly. "We gotta have one around when we tell ghost stories tonight. I won't be long. If you need me, holler. And remember, you girls gotta learn to put your differences aside and work together at all times. So I'm counting on you."

Sebastian swam off in pursuit of an electric eel, leaving Aquata and Arista with nothing but the three anxious Crab Scouts and the Crab Scouts' Manual.

"I hope it doesn't take that long to find an electric eel around here," said a very nervous Arista.

"Okay let's just simmer down," said Aquata in a no-nonsense voice. "You heard what he said, he's counting on us. Let's just forget how mad we are at each other and do the task we've been given. I mean, how hard could it be to babysit three baby crabs?"

But just as she spoke, a small amount of what looked like mud splattered her in the side of the face. The girls stared at each other in shock for a moment and then turned to face the Crab Scouts. All three of them were facing each other with blobs of mud in their claws and sinister smiles on their faces.

"Muddy putty fight!" one of them shouted.

In an instant, the three small crabs began splattering each other with muddy putty. It was pandemonium. Mud flew in all directions. The crabs tried to take shelter behind rocks, though with limited success.

"I need hardly ask if this is in the Crab Scouts' Manual," said Aquata, looking down at the small book in her hands. "Come on Arista, we'd better…" She turned to face Arista, only to find that the latter was not there. "Arista?"

At that moment, a second, somehow larger blob of mud hid Aquata in the back of the head. At first she was willing to bet that the three crabs had joined forces and formed an extra large blob of mud. But the laugh that followed the assault did not belong to any of the Crab Scouts.

"Hey, this is fun!" Arista laughed.

Aquata turned to glare at her.

* * *

Meanwhile in the human world, a certain redhead we know was walking happily through the door of the village men's shoe shop. Ariel, like her two big sisters, had been given a very special task today. She'd received a summons from the shop's owner, with whom she and Eric were on very good terms, asking if she would be so kind as to look after his son for the afternoon and evening. Ariel had said yes and she was very eager to begin.

"Hello, Rolf," she greeted the shop owner as she walked through the door.

The owner beamed when he saw her. "Well, hello yourself, Princess," he said hardily. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

Rolf Christensen was one of Ariel's favorite of the townsfolk. He was one of the most social and cheerful humans she'd ever met, and mind you that was saying a lot. He was a big, husky man with a good-natured face that was mostly hidden by a thick golden brown mustache, sideburns and very bushy eyebrows. He was a very fine shopkeeper and made some of the best men's boots for miles around. Ariel knew this very well. Last Christmas, she'd bought a pair of his finest as a present for Eric.

"Yes, it is a lovely day," Ariel replied happily as she approached the shop's counter.

"Thank you very much, by the way, for agreeing to look after Tommy for the day," said Rolf. "Especially on such short notice. His usual babysitter had to cancel at the last minute and I needed to find a replacement quickly."

Ariel smiled. "It's no trouble at all. I'm more than happy to help out."

Rolf turned to face a side door that led to a separate room. "Tommy!" he called. "Princess Ariel's here! Come say hello!"

Moments later, Rolf's seven-year-old son Tommy burst through the door and ran up to join his father's side. He tried to face Ariel but he was too small to even look over the counter. He just barely reached his father's elbow.

Rolf chuckled. "Here Son, let me give you a lift." He knelt down and lovingly lifted Tommy off his feet.

Ariel tried not to chuckle at the sight. Somehow it seemed strange to her that such a large man could have such a small son. But then she remembered that she and her sisters had once been Tommy's size and their father was even bigger than Rolf.

"Hello, Princess Ariel," Tommy said innocently.

"Hello, Tommy," Ariel replied. "I'm very glad to be looking after you while your father's away." At that moment, she realized that Rolf had not told her exactly why she was looking after Tommy. She turned to Rolf and said, "But where exactly are you going? You didn't mention it in the summons you sent me."

Rolf's smile became, if possible, broader. "Oh it's very exciting news, Princess." He set Tommy down and reached for something under the counter. He resurfaced a moment later with a long box in his hands, not unlike the one in which he'd wrapped Eric's boots the previous Christmas.

"What's this?" Ariel asked curiously.

"This," said Rolf, beaming even broader still, "is a gift for the King of the Isle Kingdom. He's requested a brand new pair of boots and he… or rather his royal messenger… personally asked me to supply them."

Ariel knew of the Isle Kingdom. It was set on a large, mountainous island not far out to sea. Ariel had never been there personally but she'd seen it from a distance once or twice when she and Eric had gone sailing.

"Why on earth would he ask you to make him a new pair of boots?" Ariel asked curiously. "Isn't there a shoe shop in his village?"

"There was until recently," said Rolf. "The poor bloke who runs the shoe shop was fired so for the time being the whole kingdom's been having to order shoes from abroad."

"Oh my," said Ariel. "That must be a menace."

Rolf's smile didn't fade. "On the contrary, Princess. I've been making boots for the kingdom's townsfolk for a fortnight and having them shipped off. The king himself has apparently seen my work and has requested a pair of my finest boots. And I intend to deliver them to him personally. I want to see the look on his face when he sees these beauties."

Ariel looked a bit confused. "But how are you going to get to the kingdom?"

"I'll rent a rowboat," said Rolf dismissively. "It's such a fine day and the ocean is beckoning."

"Um," began Ariel. "That sounds a bit… strenuous. Wouldn't you much rather take a ship for such a long journey?"

Rolf scoffed. "Oh it's not that far. Besides, I need an outlet for all this energy that I've gotten from this news."

Somehow, Ariel still wasn't convinced that this was a great idea. But who was she to argue with one of her closest human friends?

"Well if you're sure," she said simply.

"Of course I am," said Rolf.

"Papa! Papa!" said Tommy, who suddenly looked so excited that one would have thought he was going too. "Maybe while you're away, you'll see a mermaid or merman!"

Both Ariel and Rolf chuckled at this statement.

"I'm not too sure merpeople would go swimming up to the first rowboat they see, Tommy," Rolf said kindly.

"Well, you never know," said Ariel, who knew merpeople far better than Rolf did. "Merpeople usually come to the surface if they know I'm coming. Sometimes my sisters come up to swim alongside our boat when Eric and I go out to sea. Sometimes, even my father joins them."

Tommy was over the moon about this information. "Wow! Did you hear that, Papa? You could even meet King Triton!"

Rolf laughed. "Well if I see him, I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I get back." He then knelt down and put his large hands on Tommy's shoulders. "I have to leave now," he said more seriously. "Princess Ariel will look after you. Be good for her, okay?"

Tommy nodded.

"I'll try to be back in time to tuck you in," Rolf promised.

He hugged his son goodbye and picked up the box containing the new boots.

"I may be back late," he said softly to Ariel. "So could you please make sure he gets to bed on time, just in case?"

"Absolutely," Ariel nodded.

Rolf thanked her one final time, switched the "Open" sign on his shop door to "Closed", and was soon making his way down to the ocean. He arrived at the docks, paid a man for a rowboat, and was out on the open ocean within minutes. He was so eager as he paddled that he never noticed the mass of dark clouds forming in the distance.

* * *

That evening, Sebastian, the Crab Scouts, and the two mermaids gathered around an electric eel and were preparing to tell ghost stories. Needless to say Sebastian had returned some time earlier to find nothing but chaos waiting for him.

"I don't believe it, mon," he said to Arista and Aquata, who was picking muddy putty out of her hair. "I leave you two alone for barely an hour and what happens? The Crab Scouts run wild and you girls do nothing to stop them."

Aquata, who had just picked a particularly large bit of mud from her hair, looked up at him. "Hey, I tried to stop them. It's Arista's fault. She…"

Sebastian held up a claw. "Enough of the blame game. That's exactly what got you girls into this predicament in the first place."

Aquata pouted and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Now you're both lucky we still have one more day of the camp-out," Sebastian continued. "It means you'll have one more chance to make me reconsider telling the Sea King about today's fiasco."

"I didn't think it was so bad," said Arista. "I had a lot of fun playing with muddy putty."

Aquata scoffed. "You would say that," she mumbled so only Arista could hear her. "You were never on the receiving end. You have absolutely nothing to complain about."

Arista shot her sister a dirty look and stuck out her tongue.

"You're not off to a very good start," said Sebastian. "From now on I'll expect harmony, cooperation, and civility from you two. I swear, sometimes it's like they're trying to fill Ariel's fins," he added under his breath.

Aquata and Arista exchanged furious looks one last time and then faced the rest of the campers.

"Alright now," said Sebastian in a more pleasant tone. "Who's gotta good ghost story?"

The moment the words escaped his lips, a streak of lightning flashed high above them. Everyone in the vicinity jumped. Arista threw herself to the ground and cowered with her hands over her head. The Crabs Scouts sought refuge from behind Sebastian.

"Here's a good ghost story," said one of the boy crabs. "Right now, everyone in the human world has gotta put up with that."

There was a second streak of lightning. Everyone looked up. The surface of the water looked very rough indeed.

"Sure looks like bad news for anyone on a boat," said Aquata.

Sebastian nodded in agreement. "Sure looks like quite a storm, mon. But at least we're all safe from it here under the sea."

"That guy up there doesn't look so safe," said one of the boy crabs, pointing upward.

The others all followed his gaze. Everyone gasped in unison. Rolf Christensen, though none of them knew who he was of course, had fallen from his rowboat, which was now reduced to planks of wood around him, and was now slowly sinking beneath the surface. His eyes were closed and he was not moving.

"A human!" everyone shouted.

"And he's in trouble," said the girl Crab Scout.

"We gotta help him!" said one of the boys.

Sebastian blew his Crab Scouts whistle. "What are we waiting for?" he shouted. "Let's get moving!"

Everyone swam towards Rolf. They tried to stay together but he was too far away and the crabs weren't fast enough.

"Aquata! Arista!" Sebastian said breathlessly to the mermaids. "You go on ahead of us. At the rate we're going, he'll be dead by the time we reach him."

Without saying a word, Aquata and Arista nodded and swam off ahead of the four crabs. The two of them reached Rolf at the same moment and they each grabbed one of his arms and pulled him with all their might to the surface. It was no easy task as he was much bigger than they were. They finally surfaced, but Rolf did not open his eyes or show any sign of life.

Arista whimpered. "He's not… you know…?" she asked, trying to make herself heard over the roar of the storm.

"I don't know," Aquata said, looking hopefully at Rolf.

She and Arista looked around frantically. The sky was pitch black and filled with angry clouds. Bright streaks of lightning flashed in every direction. Violent waves splashed all around them, threatening to take them back down. It was without question a dangerous storm. Aquata and Arista knew enough about humans to know that they could not survive long under water. And unless they got Rolf to land pronto, the stormy ocean would definitely claim his life, assuming it hadn't done so already.

"But there's no point in staying here and letting it get worse!" Aquata yelled to Arista. "Come on! We have to get him to shore!"

They turned their heads to a strip of land on the horizon, barely visible in the storm's darkness. They knew it by sight though. It was the land on which Ariel and Eric lived.

"It could take forever to get him there!" yelled Arista.

"Then we'd better get a move on!" replied Aquata. "Come on!"

They each grabbed onto Rolf and began pulling him towards the strip of land that they hoped would be his salvation. Moments later, Sebastian and the Crab Scouts surfaced and did what little they could to help out. Each crab grabbed one of Rolf's thick fingers and helped Aquata and Arista pull. All the while, they made sure Rolf's head stayed above the water. They knew it was all they could do for the time being. Not a word was spoken throughout the strenuous process. The storm showed only feeble attempts at relenting as time went by. The lightning became gradually scarcer and the violent waves were brought down to size my mere inches. But it was progress nonetheless.

What felt like hours later (everyone had lost track of time), they finally reached land. By which time, the storm had died down almost completely. The sky was still dark, though mainly because it was nighttime, and the ocean had calmed. But poor Rolf had not come around, even though his head had never dropped beneath the water.

"Quick, everyone!" Sebastian shouted. "Let's get him onto the beach!"

They hurriedly pulled Rolf from the water and lay him down onto the sandy ground. Sebastian looked at him and suddenly remembered how Eric had looked after Ariel saved him from drowning. He remembered the lifeless position of Eric's body, the tattered clothing, the bare feet, and every other effect that the sea could have on a mere human. This storm had had a similar effect on Rolf. The water and salt had taken a serious toll on his clothing. His feet were bare. His shirt had been reduced to little more than a fishnet. The legs of his trousers had been torn up to his knees.

"What do you think, Sebastian?" Aquata asked. It was the first time any of them had spoken for a while.

"Do you think he's… dead?" Arista had gulped before uttering the last word.

Sebastian didn't answer right away. He was too distraught by the familiar sight of a human being pulled from a stormy sea. "I don't know," he said slowly.

One of the boy Crab Scouts walked up to Rowl's right foot and held the side of his head up to the sole. He looked like he was concentrating on something. Then a look that suggested defeat appeared on his face.

"No heartbeat," he said.

Sebastian looked at him quietly.

"What?" asked the Crab Scout. "That's where Scuttle told me the human heart is."

Sebastian smacked himself on the forehead. "I might've known. New rule for the Crab Scouts' Manual: never take human anatomy lessons from a seagull."

"Hold on," said Aquata. "I know what to do." She lifted one of Rolf's hefty arms and pressed two of her fingers to Rolf's wrist, just below the thumb.

Everyone watched her nervously.

After barely more than a few seconds, she let out a shaky sigh. "He's okay," she announced the to group.

Arista threw a trembling hand over her heart. "Thank goodness."

Sebastian clapped his claws loudly. "That may not be the case forever. We gotta get him dried off and find some way of warming him up. Humans can't last long in the cold, especially when wet."

"What should we do, Sebastian?" asked the Crab Scouts eagerly.

"You three, get his wet clothes off," Sebastian ordered. "I suggest just using your claws. Those clothes are as good as done anyway." He then turned to Aquata and Arista. "You two girls, search the beach for anything we could use. A blanket, or at least something we can use as a blanket. Dry driftwood for a fire. Anything at all."

"What are you going to do?" asked Arista.

"I'm going to get your father," said Sebastian. "Just in case you don't find anything and our success is limited. And I'll try to be quick," he added, looking sadly at Rolf. "Look after him, and help each other, please."

Aquata and Arista nodded. There was no sign of reluctance in either of them this time. Instead, urgency and worry was reflected in their eyes. They clearly knew that if there was ever a time that required no fighting or bickering, it was now, when an innocent life could be lost at any given moment.

"Hurry, Sebastian," Aquata urged.

Sebastian nodded his head once and lunged himself back into the water. As soon as he was out of sight, the two mermaids began searching the vicinity for anything they could use to help keep Rolf warm and dry. Their hopes were scattered within minutes. Aquata hadn't managed to find a blanket, or even an old that could serve as a substantial substitute. Arista had managed to find a small pile of driftwood, but every piece of it was soaked. And even if it had been dry, she wouldn't have had the slightest idea how to start a fire. She barely even knew what a fire was. So they gave up searching and went back to join Rolf's side. They found that the Crab Scouts were having their own troubles. They'd only managed to cut away Rolf's shirt, which now lay in small tatters over his bare upper body.

"He's getting too cold," they explained. "It's too late to do anything else."

The all decided that there was nothing more they could do except wait for Sebastian to return with King Triton. They all huddled together, trying to stay close to Rolf, and watched him sadly for a minute or two.

"Please hurry, Daddy," said Aquata, who actually sounded close to tears.

Arista noticed this and put a caring hand on her sister's shoulder. Aquata didn't resist this comfort. She didn't shake Arista's hand away or anything. This was definitely some form of improvement in their relationship.

Arista smiled weakly. "I hope the poor man will be okay," she said. "I hope we saved him together."

At that exact moment, they heard a long, raspy breathing sound. Everyone turned their heads so fast, they almost creaked their necks. Rolf was finally stirring. He slowly raised a hand to his head and tried to sit up, sending the tattered remnants of his shirt falling from his chest to the ground.

Everyone exchanged smiles.

"He's alive!" said Arista in a barely audible whisper. Before anyone could stop her, she threw herself to the ground and knelt down beside Rolf.

"Arista, no," said Aquata. "You should give him room to breath."

But Arista was not listening. She merely beamed at Rolf as he rubbed his head, eyes still closed.

"Are you alright, sir?" she asked, not even trying to be subtle.

Rolf coughed a couple of times and hoarsely replied, "Yes, I think so." Seconds later, he slowly opened his eyes and allowed the person addressing him to come into focus. He examined Arista from head to tailfin. His eyes, though stinging, went almost completely round. "Oh my… Oh my… Mermaid," he stammered weakly. Though he was a bit nervous about being so close to a mermaid, and was definitely colder than he'd ever been in his life, he could only help but give a faint smile.

"Yes, I'm a mermaid," Arista said, giving a hollow chuckle.

Rolf turned his head around in every direction. When he last remembered, he was in a small rowboat in the middle of an increasingly rough ocean. But now, the ocean wasn't rough at all and he was sitting on a beach, cold and half-naked, next to a mermaid. He looked at Arista again and, a few seconds later, put two and two together.

"Y-you saved my life," he assumed out loud.

Arista nodded. "Yes I… er… _we_ did." She turned to face her sister and gestured for her to join her side. "Aquata, don't let me take all the credit."

Aquata grinned and, somewhat reluctantly, knelt down beside Arista. Not quite knowing what to say to Rolf, who was now staring awe-struck at her as well, she said to Arista, "I still think we ought to give him some breathing room."

"Nonsense," Arista protested cheerfully. "This man deserves to see both his heroes up close."

Aquata merely shrugged and turned to Rolf. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked him.

Rolf, now shivering, threw his arms around his torso in a vain attempt to warm himself. "Well, I don't know about okay. But I suppose I'd be worse off now if it wasn't for you two."

"Hey!" said a small voice. "What about us? We helped too! Look down here!"

It was the Crab Scouts, who didn't look too happy about being overlooked.

"Oops," Arista laughed. "And we had a bit of assistance from these Crab Scouts."

"And more importantly," added Aquata, "from the teamwork that they value so much."

Rolf, in spite of himself, chuckled and beamed at his five heroes. "Well then, I guess I have you all to thank." He shivered and then said, more to himself than to the others, "Wow, I've been saved by mermaids and talking crabs. This'll be one to tell Tommy."

"Excuse me?" asked Aquata. "Tommy?"

"My son," Rolf explained. "I promised him I'd tell him if I saw any mermaids when I get back home…" He suddenly looked crestfallen. "Home," he said sadly. "I told him I'd try to get home to tuck him in. And I bet Princess Ariel will be wondering where I am."

At the sound of Ariel's name, Aquata and Arista looked up at him.

"Did you just say Princess Ariel?" said Aquata.

Rolf nodded. "I left her in charge of Tommy while I'm away. Do you know her?"

Arista smiled. "Almost no one knows her better than us. We're her sisters."

Rolf stared at them. "You don't say," he said, sounding impressed. He would definitely be sure to tell that to Tommy when he got home.

"We do," said Arista, nodding fervently.

"And as her sisters," Aquata added, "we can assure you that you don't need to worry about your son. If anyone can take care of a child like it's her own, it's Ariel."

Truer words had never been spoken. Rolf knew Ariel very well and he knew that he had left Tommy in the best possible hands, other than his own that is. But it didn't make up for the fact that he couldn't be there to bid his son goodnight. Nor could he assure Ariel that he, Rolf, was alright and that Tommy could sleep knowing this. This must have registered on his face, for at that moment, Arista leaned forward and placed a sympathetic hand on his broad shoulder.

"They'll be alright," she said in a soothing voice. "You're too cold and weak to go anywhere right now. You need to stay here and be cared for. Our father will be here any…"

"Aquata! Arista!" said a deep, booming voice that the two girls and the Crab Scouts knew very well.

Everyone turned to face the voice's owner. King Triton had surfaced. Sebastian was perched on his shoulder.

"Daddy!" said Aquata and Arista, sounding thoroughly relieved.

"What on earth is going on here?" Triton asked, sounding only slightly impatient. "Sebastian told me there was an emergency and that there was no time to…" His eyes fell upon Rolf, who looked back at the sea king looking rather timid. This was extremely unusual for a man his size.

King Triton's mood and tone suddenly softened. "Girls, what's happened here? And who is this human?"

"He was drowning, Daddy," said Aquata in a panicked voice. "We… all of us… had to save him or he would've died."

Triton raised an eyebrow, though he did not look unkind. He of course had once heard a similar story before. He remembered how furious he'd felt when he'd learned that Ariel had saved a human from drowning too.

"Please help us, Daddy," Arista pleaded. "He's not like us. If he stays cold and wet for much longer, he _will_ die. And we don't have anything to keep him warm. Please, Daddy. Please… Oh and if it helps, he was just telling us that he knows Ariel," she added, as though hoping this would change any negative thoughts about saving Rolf.

But Triton needed no persuading, for he had no negative thoughts about the situation at hand. He was no longer reluctant to help a human in any way. He'd welcomed Eric into his family with open arms and had even allowed Ariel to stay with him forever. It was true he was still not completely experienced with humans, but he had long since been convinced that they were not the "spineless, savage, harpooning fish-eaters" he had once thought they were. He looked at Rolf again and felt pity for him as he shivered from the cold, though if truth be told there was also a bit intimidation that contributed to the shivering.

"You poor man," Triton said sympathetically. "Of course I'll help."

Everyone smiled and cheered, except for Rolf, though he did at least look less intimidated. He was shivering less vigorously anyway.

Triton pointed his trident to a spot on the sandy ground and made a serious face that made him look like he was concentrating on something. The trident glowed brightly in his hands and there was a flash of golden light. In an instant, a blazing log fire was glowing warmly on the spot where the trident had pointed. Everyone smiled at the sight of it and they all gathered around it.

"Alright! Now it's a real camp out!" said one of the Crab Scouts.

Aquata and Arista helped Rolf to sit up. Then they each took one of his large hands and kindly coaxed him to lower them close to the flames, though not too close to enable him to burn himself. As he began warming his hands, Triton raised his trident and slowly waved it once, making it look as though he had begun drawing something in midair. A long ray of light appeared in the spot where Triton had drawn. Then, the beam of light slowly began to assume the form of something large, flexible, and square. In seconds, the odd shape of light was replaced by a dry, warm looking blanket, which floated up to Rolf and draped itself over his bare shoulders.

"Do you feel better now?" Triton asked Rolf kindly.

Rolf nodded. "Much better. Thank you, Your Majesty," he said, bowing his head to Triton.

"What do we call you?" Triton asked.

"Good question," said Arista, looking dumbfounded at the realization that they hadn't asked the man whose life they had saved what his name was. "What do we call you?" she asked Rolf.

"Rolf," he replied simply. "Rolf Christensen. And it's true what I said. I know Princess Ariel very well. And I'm sure she's wide awake right now wondering when, or if, I'll return home."

"Ariel's looking after his son, Daddy," Aquata said, noticing the puzzled look on King Triton's face.

"Oh, I see," said Triton. He reached forward and placed a mighty hand on Rolf's shoulder. "I'm sure you're worried about your son, Mr. Christensen. And I'm sure he's worried about you too. But I truly believe it's best if you stay here for the night and regain your strength. I can assure you, you're in good hands. The best, in fact." He gave Aquata and Arista an approving glance. "You're in the hands of my daughters."

The two girls grinned in reply.

Sebastian crawled up to Rolf and climbed up his arm to stand on his shoulder. "And you're in good claws too, mon. My Crab Scouts and I are always willing to lend a helping claw to everyone under the sea… and above it one in a while."

Rolf smiled at Sebastian and patted him on the head with his index finger. "I'm glad to hear it, uh, mon."

A short while later, Rolf, now convinced that both he and Tommy were in good hands, began to drift off to sleep. Everyone bid him goodnight and King Triton put a spell over him that would allow him to have a dreamless sleep. For the rest of the night, while Rolf and the Crab Scouts slept, Aquata and Arista took turns keeping an eye on Rolf. They would change shifts every hour or so. There was little sleeping going on between the two of them, but King Triton got even less sleep. He had to stay awake and attend to the fire, thus ensuring Rolf stayed warm. While he did so, he watched his two daughters keeping an eye on the man they had saved. He watched how they willingly and selflessly altered between watching and sleeping every hour on the hour and thought of how his little "punishment" had worked out perfectly. Aquata and Arista had learned to work together without arguing or complaining about each other. His plan had certainly had a much better effect than beaching them.

King Triton's dreamless sleep spell had really done the job. When morning came, Rolf woke up feeling warmer and stronger than he had when he'd fallen asleep. He yawned, rubbed the sleep out his eyes, and sat up. Now sooner had he done so when Aquata and Arista appeared at his side looking tired but cheerful.

"Good morning, Rolf," they said together.

"Good morning, ladies," he said, somewhat groggily.

"Are you hungry?" Arista asked, holding up what looked like a large clamshell full of steaming liquid. It strangely made Rolf think of a normal bowl of soup.

A sudden rumbling sound coming from Rolf's belly answered Arista's question. Rolf chuckled. "I guess I am," he replied.

Arista handed him the steaming clamshell. "Coral blossom soup," she said, naming the hot liquid. "Aquata and I picked the blossoms ourselves," she added proudly, throwing an arm around her big sister's shoulders.

"You should drink it while it's hot," Aquata advised.

"Thank you, my dears," said Rolf, taking a grateful gulp of the strange, though he had to admit not bad, soup.

He finished the soup within minutes, blowing on it between gulps so as to cool it off, and set the empty clamshell aside. Then he looked around and noticed that he and the two girls were alone.

"Daddy went to sleep at sunrise," Aquata explained, pointing to the calm sea that no one ever would have guessed had been a stormy uproar the night before. "He didn't go home though. He's here in the shallows, just in case you need anything else."

"And Sebastian and the Crab Scouts left a while ago to find Ariel and your son," said Arista.

Rolf stared at them in disbelief. "They went into the village?" he asked. "Aren't they afraid of being stepped on and crushed? There are a lot of people in the village, especially at this hour."

Aquata snickered. "They don't need to worry about that. Sebastian may be small, but if anybody can make themselves be heard in a crowd or from a distance, it's him."

Almost no time later, Rolf realized that his statement was true. A voice cried out from a fair distance that made all three of their heads turn.

"There they are, Ariel!"

It was Sebastian. He and the Crab Scouts were scurrying frantically towards them from a few yards away. They were being closely followed by a very tired looking Ariel and…

"Tommy," said Rolf, in barely more than a whisper.

"PAPA!" Tommy yelled, breaking into a run and darting ahead of Ariel and the crabs. He looked as though he was about to burst into tears.

Rolf held out his arms, prepared to embrace his son. When Tommy reached his father, he literally threw himself into his arms and they hugged each other tightly. Tommy broke out into tears instantly.

"Papa!" he wept, though his voice was somewhat muffled as his face was buried in Rolf's bulky chest. "I didn't know where you were! I thought you'd drowned!"

Rolf ruffled Tommy's hair with his large hand and shed two or three tears. He realized at that point that his own worries from the night before were nothing compared to what must have gone through Tommy's mind. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be only seven years old and trying to sleep with the knowledge that his father was out at sea in a storm. He shivered, though the cold he'd felt the night before had long since left him.

"I'm fine, Tommy," he said soothingly. "I'm alright. Really, I am."

Ariel, Sebastian, and the Crab Scouts reached them seconds later. Sebastian climbed his way up to Rolf's shoulder and patted Tommy's head with his claw.

"Don't you worry, little mon," he said. "Your father's safe and he's right here with you."

After about a minute, and what seemed like thousands of tears, Tommy settled down and looked up at his father, who gave him a reassuring smile.

"You know what, Tommy?" Rolf asked, attempting to sound more cheerful.

Tommy sniffed once and wiped one final tear from his eye. "What?"

Rolf gestured his hand towards Aquata and Arista. "You have these two to thank. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for them."

Tommy, who had until this moment overlooked the two mermaids, gaped at them. They merely giggled had waved childishly at him. It was clear to Rolf that Tommy had received much better than a short story from his father about seeing a merperson from his rowboat.

Ariel walked over to her sisters and took a seat beside them. "Sebastian told me everything, though it took me a while to catch what he was saying because he was panting so much," she explained. "I almost didn't believe him, but now that I see it for myself…" There was no need to finish the sentence. "You two really saved Rolf's life? And you looked after him together, without arguing?"

Aquata smiled, but then looked thoughtful. "Hm, now that someone's finally said it out loud, it really does sound crazy," he said.

"But it is true, Ariel. Every word of it," said Arista. "And you know what? It was a lot of fun. We saved Rolf's life, made new friends, and learned the values of teamwork. I'm telling you, I feel just like a real Crab Scout now. Or at least I will once I've gotten the oath down. I wonder if they'll let me become an official member."

Aquata shook her head patiently. "Simmer down there, sister. I'm not sure you fully qualify. Besides, this whole experience was kind of supposed to be a punishment, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," said Arista, nodding somewhat sadly.

"And I'm pleased to say," said a voice from behind them, "that it has had a better effect on you girls than I ever would've thought possible." King Triton had emerged from the shallow water. He looked more tired than anyone else. Evidently all the talking had woken him up.

"Hi, Daddy," said Ariel.

King Triton nodded his head to her in reply and then put one hand each on Aquata and Arista's shoulders. "They're definitely your sisters, Ariel. Not only were their actions heroic, but also they were willing to set aside their differences and cooperate when another soul was in danger." He looked down at them both and said, "I don't think I've ever been prouder of you girls."

"Thanks, Daddy," said Aquata and Arista together.

Tommy, who was sitting on his father's lap, was staring wide-eyed and jaw-dropped at King Triton. Rolf noticed this and chuckled.

"You know, he saved my life too, Tommy."

Tommy stared at his father. "Really? You were rescued by mermaids _and_ King Triton?"

"And a crab or four," added Sebastian, who was still perched on Rolf's shoulder.

"Wow," said Tommy, clearly at a loss for words.

King Triton chuckled politely. "What's your name, little fellow?"

Tommy gulped. "T-Tommy… Your Majesty."

"Well, Tommy," said Triton. "It was my pleasure to help with saving your father's life. He's a very good man. And I'm sure we're all going to become very good friends."

Tommy could only smile.

Triton turned back to his two older daughters. "Come along, girls. It's time we went home now. I'm sure your sisters are wondering where we are."

"Yes, Daddy," they replied together.

Sebastian jumped down from Rolf's shoulder and said, "We'd best be going too, Crab Scouts. We still got another whole day of camping to do."

"It won't be as awesome as yesterday though," said one of the Crab Scouts under his breath.

"Thank you all again, for everything," Rolf said to the group at large. "I hope we can see you all again soon."

"You and your son will always be welcome among us," said King Triton, patting him on the shoulder one last time. "Come along, everyone."

Everyone exchanged goodbyes and then the two groups, sea creatures and humans, parted ways. Ariel, Rolf and Tommy stood on the beach, waving goodbye. Rolf lovingly lifted Tommy up onto his shoulder so the latter could get a better view and they all watched their ocean friends and family swim off until they were out of sight.

As the merpeople and crabs made their way back to Atlantica, the two sisters could only help but share a few comments and giggles about their recent adventure.

"It really was the most fun I've had in ages," Arista squealed.

"Me too," agreed Aquata.

"We should totally get into serious trouble more often, that way Daddy could punish us again and we could all have another adventure," said Arista, sounding unusually serious.

Aquata stared at her for a minute and then chuckled to herself.

The End

Author's note: Hope you all liked it! Just wanted to say something real quick, the character Rolf is not entirely an OC of mine. He is actually inspired by the storybook "The Holiday Treasure Hunt", wherein he makes a brief appearance. I came up with his name on my own and his son Tommy is very much an OC. I wish I could provide a link to the page of the book that "Rolf" is in but I had some difficulties doing so. So if you'd like to see for yourself, just look up "Ariel The Holiday Treasure Hunt" and just kinda browse through the illustrations. There aren't that many, you should find the right one pretty easily.


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